How to Type Symbols & Special Characters
Every shortcut on one page: the Windows Alt code, the Mac keystroke, the HTML entity and the Unicode point for 21 characters people look up constantly — plus the reason Alt codes fail on most laptops.
Quick reference — all 21 symbols
| Symbol | Name | Windows | Mac | HTML | Unicode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ° | degree symbol | Alt + 0176 | Option + Shift + 8 | ° | U+00B0 |
| — | em dash | Alt + 0151 | Option + Shift + - (hyphen) | — | U+2014 |
| – | en dash | Alt + 0150 | Option + - (hyphen) | – | U+2013 |
| • | bullet point | Alt + 0149 | Option + 8 | • | U+2022 |
| © | copyright symbol | Alt + 0169 | Option + G | © | U+00A9 |
| ™ | trademark symbol | Alt + 0153 | Option + 2 | ™ | U+2122 |
| ® | registered trademark symbol | Alt + 0174 | Option + R | ® | U+00AE |
| é | é (e with an acute accent) | Alt + 0233 | Option + E, then E | é | U+00E9 |
| ñ | ñ (n with a tilde) | Alt + 0241 | Option + N, then N | ñ | U+00F1 |
| € | euro symbol | Alt + 0128 | Option + Shift + 2 | € | U+20AC |
| ¢ | cent symbol | Alt + 0162 | Option + 4 | ¢ | U+00A2 |
| à | à (a with a grave accent) | Alt + 0224 | Option + ` (backtick), then A | à | U+00E0 |
| ü | ü (u with an umlaut) | Alt + 0252 | Option + U, then U | ü | U+00FC |
| ç | ç (c with a cedilla) | Alt + 0231 | Option + C | ç | U+00E7 |
| ± | plus-minus sign | Alt + 0177 | Option + Shift + = (equals) | ± | U+00B1 |
| ÷ | division sign | Alt + 0247 | Option + / (slash) | ÷ | U+00F7 |
| £ | pound symbol | Alt + 0163 | Option + 3 | £ | U+00A3 |
| ¥ | yen symbol | Alt + 0165 | Option + Y | ¥ | U+00A5 |
| § | section symbol | Alt + 0167 | Option + 6 | § | U+00A7 |
| ¶ | paragraph symbol (pilcrow) | Alt + 0182 | Option + 7 | ¶ | U+00B6 |
| · | middle dot (interpunct) | Alt + 0183 | Option + Shift + 9 | · | U+00B7 |
Which method should you actually use?
There are four ways to produce a character that has no key, and they are not equally good. Pick by how often you need the symbol, not by which one you found first.
1. Windows Alt codes — fast, but only with a numeric keypad
Hold Alt, type the digits on the numeric keypad, release. The number row above the letters does not work, which is why the trick fails on most laptops and on compact keyboards. Always include the leading zero: Alt + 0151 gives an em dash while Alt + 151 gives a completely different character — the zero switches Windows from the legacy OEM code page to Windows-1252.
2. Mac Option shortcuts — no keypad needed
Hold Option and press a letter or number. Accented letters work differently: they are dead keys, so Option + E then E produces an e with an acute accent — the first press arms the accent, the second places it. Holding a letter key down also opens an accent picker on modern macOS.
3. Built-in pickers — the laptop answer
On Windows press Win + . for the emoji and symbol panel, or search Character Map for the full set. On Mac press Control + Command + Space. Slower per use, but nothing to memorise and it works on any keyboard.
4. HTML entities — for web pages
In markup you can write — or the numeric form — instead of the character itself. On a UTF-8 page pasting the raw character is fine too; entities mainly protect you from tools that mangle non-ASCII text on save.
The honest rule: memorise codes for the two or three symbols you reach for weekly, and use a text replacement for the rest. Hunting through a picker mid-sentence costs more speed than any shortcut saves — which is the whole point of measuring your typing on real text rather than clean prose.
Practice box
Try any symbol from the table using its shortcut — the box confirms when it lands.
Punctuation & typography
The characters that separate writing that looks typed from writing that looks set. Word and Google Docs autocorrect some of them, which is exactly why people get stuck the moment they leave those editors.
— em dash
The em dash (—) sets off a strong break in a sentence — like this — and is longer than a hyphen or en dash.
- A dramatic pause or aside
- Replacing commas, colons, or parentheses
- Attributing a quote
– en dash
The en dash (–) links ranges and connections — such as 2020–2026 or the New York–London flight. It sits between a hyphen and an em dash in length.
- Number ranges (pages 10–20)
- Date ranges (Mon–Fri)
- Connections (a 4–1 win)
• bullet point
The bullet point (•) starts each item in a list where numbering does not matter, and is handy in plain-text bios and social posts.
- List items in plain text
- Instagram / LinkedIn bios
- Separating inline items (A • B • C)
§ section symbol
The section symbol (§) references a numbered section of a law, contract, or document — § 12 or §§ 3–5.
- Legal citations (§ 230)
- Contracts and statutes
- Academic references
¶ paragraph symbol (pilcrow)
The paragraph symbol (¶), also called the pilcrow, marks the start of a paragraph and shows formatting marks in word processors.
- Referencing paragraphs (¶ 4)
- Editing and proofreading
- Legal and academic writing
· middle dot (interpunct)
The middle dot (·), or interpunct, separates items on one line — a menu, a byline, or breadcrumbs like Home · About · Contact.
- Inline separators (A · B · C)
- Bylines and metadata
- Navigation and menus
Legal & business marks
Three marks that carry legal meaning, so getting the right one matters more than getting it fast.
© copyright symbol
The copyright symbol (©) signals ownership of a creative work, usually in a footer like © 2026 Your Name.
- Website footers (© 2026)
- Documents and PDFs
- Photo and video credits
™ trademark symbol
The trademark symbol (™) marks a brand name or logo as a claimed trademark, even if it is not yet registered.
- Unregistered brand names
- Product names
- Slogans and logos
® registered trademark symbol
The registered trademark symbol (®) shows a trademark is officially registered with a government office. Only use it once registration is granted.
- Registered brand names
- Official product marks
- Legal notices
Currency symbols
Anything beyond the dollar sign needs a shortcut, because only one currency gets its own key.
€ euro symbol
The euro symbol (€) is the currency sign for the euro, written before or after the amount depending on the country — €20 or 20 €.
- Prices in euros (€19.99)
- Invoices and quotes
- Financial documents
¢ cent symbol
The cent symbol (¢) marks amounts under a dollar, such as 99¢, and is written after the number.
- Prices under a dollar (75¢)
- Unit pricing
- Coupons and menus
£ pound symbol
The pound symbol (£) is the currency sign for the British pound sterling, written before the amount — £25.
- Prices in pounds (£9.99)
- UK invoices
- Financial documents
¥ yen symbol
The yen symbol (¥) is the currency sign for the Japanese yen (and Chinese yuan), written before the amount — ¥1000.
- Prices in yen (¥500)
- International pricing
- Finance and travel
Maths & science
Symbols that show up in specs, recipes and lab notes far more often than in maths class.
° degree symbol
The degree symbol (°) marks temperatures, angles, and geographic coordinates — like 72°F or a 90° turn.
- Temperatures (72°F, 21°C)
- Angles (a 45° cut)
- Map coordinates (40° N)
± plus-minus sign
The plus-minus sign (±) shows a value with a margin of error or tolerance, like 20 ± 2 mm.
- Measurements & tolerances (5 ± 0.1)
- Statistics (mean ± SD)
- Engineering specs
÷ division sign
The division sign (÷) shows one number divided by another, as in 12 ÷ 3 = 4.
- Math problems (10 ÷ 2)
- Recipes and ratios
- Worksheets
Accented letters
Names, loanwords and foreign-language text. On Mac these are dead-key combinations: press the accent, release, then press the letter.
é é (e with an acute accent)
The letter é (e with an acute accent) appears in words borrowed from French and Spanish — café, résumé, fiancé.
- Words like café and résumé
- Names (José, Renée)
- French and Spanish text
ñ ñ (n with a tilde)
The letter ñ (n with a tilde) is a distinct letter in Spanish, in words like año, señor, and jalapeño.
- Spanish words (año, mañana)
- Names (Peña, Muñoz)
- Place names (España)
à à (a with a grave accent)
The letter à (a with a grave accent) shows up in French words and phrases like à la carte and voilà.
- French words (à la mode)
- Phrases (déjà vu)
- Names and menus
ü ü (u with an umlaut)
The letter ü (u with an umlaut) appears in German and Turkish words such as über, Müller, and güneş.
- German words (über, für)
- Turkish words (gün, üzüm)
- Names (Müller)
ç ç (c with a cedilla)
The letter ç (c with a cedilla) is used in French, Portuguese, and Turkish — façade, ação, çay.
- French (façade, garçon)
- Turkish (çay, çocuk)
- Names (Gonçalves)
Frequently asked
Why does my Alt code do nothing?
Almost always the numeric keypad. Windows Alt codes only read digits from the keypad, not the number row above the letters. On a laptop without a keypad, use the Windows emoji panel (Win + .) or Character Map instead, or turn on the on-screen keyboard.
Do I type the leading zero in Alt codes?
Yes, and it changes the result. Alt + 0151 gives an em dash while Alt + 151 gives a completely different character. The leading zero tells Windows to read the code as Windows-1252 rather than the older OEM code page.
What is the difference between an em dash and an en dash?
An em dash breaks a sentence. An en dash joins a range, as in pages 12 to 18 or Monday to Friday. A hyphen is shorter still and joins words. They are three different characters, not three sizes of the same one.
Should I use the HTML entity or paste the character?
On a UTF-8 page you can paste the character directly and it will render fine. Entities are still worth using for characters that would otherwise break markup, and for anything a colleague might mangle when editing the file in an older tool.
Is there a faster way than memorising codes?
For a symbol you use weekly, yes — set up a text replacement (macOS Settings, or AutoCorrect in Word) so a short trigger expands to the character. Memorise codes only for the two or three you genuinely reach for every day.
Why a typing site cares about symbols
Speed is only half of real-world typing — the other half is not stopping to hunt for a character you use every week. Every pause to open a picker breaks the rhythm that makes fast typing feel effortless, and rhythm is what separates a 60 WPM typist from a 90 WPM one. Learn the handful of symbols in your daily writing and your flow stays unbroken. When you are ready to measure that flow, take a typing test or run a practice round.